Willow Tree
by GallyandBlack
Summary: She came to this place to find inspiration. Never once though had she ever imagined that it would be in him. For StormDragon666's one-shot contest


Pushing the clear door open, Sakura stepped out onto the sidewalk, tugging her small suitcase behind her. Shutting her eyes, she breathed in deeply. A small shiver ran down her spine as sweet and exotic smells reached her nose, causing goose bumps the raise on her arms.

Snapping her eyes open, Sakura took off away from the airport and to the sidewalk where rows of cars where lined up one after the other.

"Taxi!" she called, raising her hand above her head.

Not a minute later the white cab pulled next to her and the excited pinkette opened the back door.

"_Ciao, potete per favore portami a questo indirizzo?" _she asked, trying hard to remember just how each word was pronounced. Reaching into her small handbag, she retrieved a slip of paper and handed it to the driver.

"_Ah certo che può!" _he replied happily.

As he started to accelerate, Sakura leaned excitedly towards the window. Never had she imagined going to Italy, to try to find inspiration in the same spot her as her idol no less! Unconsciously, her hand moved on top of her bag where her precious journal was stowed safely away.

Every idea, every piece she had every come up with was written within the leather covers of this book. In short, it was her most precious belonging.

"So is this your first time coming to Italy?"

Sakura jumped, whipping around to look at the cheekily grinning cab driver.

"You speak English?" she asked.

I bright twinkle lit his eyes and his grin only seemed to grow, "It would appear so now wouldn't it?"

Immediately Sakura felt a blush heat up her face and she looked down bashfully.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting it is all."

Tipping his head back, the sunny blond gave a hearty laugh. "It's alright, no hard feelings here. Now to answer my question, is this your first time coming to Italy?"

"Oh! Yes it is. What gave me away?" she asked.

"Your accent, it's slow and stiff, like you haven't been speaking it for very long," he answered, simultaneously turning a corner while avoiding a small child running across the road.

"Really?" she half shrieked, terrified. She had worked so hard for the past two weeks to become fluent in the language and to have a native tell her that was like a slap in the face. A slap with a fish, a rotten fish; thanks a lot Rosetta Stone.

"Don't worry about it, I was like that to when I first moved here."

"You weren't born in Italy?"

"Nope, I'm a Japan native but I moved here when I was twelve," he answered, a slightly nostalgic look crossing his face.

"Well…"

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki," he inserted.

"Well Naruto I'm Sakura Haruno and I can tell you right now that you have a very good accent for someone who wasn't born here."

"Ah thanks Sakura-chan," he grinned again at her through the rear view mirror.

Smiling in return, Sakura leaned back into her seat and looked at the beautiful scenery passing by.

Slowly, the stone buildings disappeared to become rolling fields so bright and endless she found herself short of breath.

Accelerating slightly as they crested a hill, Sakura gasped as she caught sight of the small but shockingly beautiful valley below.

"Oh wow," she breathed, completely oblivious to the chuckle Naruto gave to her awed expression.

Driving back down, the car gave a slight jump as it moved onto the cobblestone streets and off the paved road.

"Well Sakura-chan, this is where I leave you," Naruto announced as he pulled the cab to a stop in front of a small but elegant looking hotel.

"Thank you so much Naruto," Sakura answer sincerely as she pulled out her wallet and handed the owed amount to him.

"My pleasure Sakura, I hope you have fun during your stay."

"Thanks!"

Sliding out, she pulled her suitcase out behind her and stepped up onto the curb, taking in her surroundings as she did.

People walked around everywhere and all the buildings were made of old looking stone and stucco that gave the town an aged sort of old fashioned look. Turning to the hotel in front of her, Sakura took in the ivy covered walls and wood shutter windows with appreciative eyes.

Finally getting her feet to move, she crossed the few feet from the curb to the front door and pulled the metal handle open. Her high heels echoed on the polished hard wood floors and the soft glow of afternoon sunlight streaming in through the large windows illuminated the cozy lobby.

Behind the counter, a pretty girl with brown hair and kind eyes smiled at her, "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hi," Sakura said as she walked to the counter, "I have a reservation under Sakura Haruno."

"Let me see," the receptionist mumbled as she clicked the mouse a few times. "Ah yes! You're signed up for a single person bedroom for one weeks am I correct?"

"Yes ma'am," she replied.

"Well then, this is your room key," the woman retrieved an authentic metal key from a small rack under her desk and handed it over, "and I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks I will," Sakura grinned before all but skipping to the room engraved on her key.

"10…11…ah 12!"

Jamming the copper key into the lock, she twisted and pushed the door open. The room was simple but still nice with a single bed, white walls, and wood flooring. Dropping her bag next to the bed, she took a few minutes to look at the room in more detail before pulling out her journal and walking back outside.

Pushing open the doors, Sakura squealed as she jumped back, narrowly missing the bicyclist passing by. Why was he going to fast on the sidewalk anyway? Was that even legal?

Poking her head back outside, she made sure to look both ways before stepping out and starting down the path. Briefly she wondered if she should try to find a map of some sorts but as she looked at the beautiful town, she decided she was content with just wondering.

She passed through a couple of intersections and weaved around countless kids before she spotted a bright sign with fancy cursive letters on it. A closer look revealed that the building was in fact a small café.

Sakura looked at the tables, then down at her slightly aching feet, then back at the tables.

'_This could work'_ she thought as she sat down at one of the small iron tables. Taking her journal out of her bag, she opened it to a blank page and looked at it blankly. Sighing in frustration, she looked back up and observed the beautiful square before her.

She had gotten on a plane and flown to a different country to find an inspiration for her writing and nothing. Was. Happening.

Glaring at her innocent little journal Sakura held back the urge to take it and throw it as hard as she could. It was all its fault, she just knew it.

"_Ciao signora, come posso aiutarla?"_

Looking up at the pretty waitress, Sakura forced herself to smile. Last thing she wanted to do was scare away her waiter; again, like the other five times she had.

"_Posso prega di avere una bibita alla fragola?" _she asked.

"Of course, one strawberry soda coming right up!" the cheery blond replied, turning back to the restaurant.

Meanwhile Sakura almost feel out of her chair at the woman's reply. Her accent wasn't _so_ bad that **everyone **could tell she was from a different country. Was it?

Sighing in misery, Sakura propped one elbow on the table and rested her chin on her fist. So far, her trip wasn't going so well.

"Signora, are you alright?"

Looking up, Sakura saw the waitress standing next to her again, soda in hand.

"Oh, of course. Just a little disappointed."

"Really? How come?" she asked as she placed Sakura's drink on the table before sitting down across from her.

In most cases, Sakura would be annoyed at the woman's forwardness but there was something about her that just made her want to trust her.

"You see I'm trying to become an author. In fact, that's why I came here, to find inspiration. And so far, I've got no ideas," she said, folding her arms on the table and dropping her chin on them.

"Well how long have you been here?"

Thinking for a second, she said, "About three hours."

Tipping her head back, Ino laughed at the depressed girl.

"What? What's so funny?"

"No no, it's just that the way you said it made it sound like you had been here for weeks." Containing her giggles, Ino placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, "You can't expect an idea to hit you just like that, give it some time."

"I'm not a patient person," Sakura deadpanned.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that but that's just what you're gonna have to do. My name is Ino by the way," the blond said as she stuck out her hand.

"I'm Sakura," the pinkette replied as she shook the offered hand.

"Well, I have to get back to work but I hope you find an inspiration Sakura," Ino said as she rose once again.

"Thanks Ino," Sakura smiled.

The blond returned the gesture before she turned back around and went to great the couple walking in.

Heaving another sigh, Sakura picked up her drink and took a sip of the sweet drink.

Ino's words were resonating through her head and Sakura growled quietly thinking about them. She didn't _have _time; she was going home in a week.

Snapping her journal closed, she slipped it back into her bag. Ino was right, inspiration wasn't going to just hit her. She was going to have to look for it.

Catching the blonde's attention, Sakura quickly paid for her barely touched drink and waved the kind waitress goodbye.

Sakura barely watched where she was going as she walked absentmindedly down the stone sidewalks. If only she had been paying attention she would have noticed how all the children had ran home, or how the shudders were drawn tight on the houses.

_BANG_

Sakura jumped as thunder echoed through the twilight.

'_Oh no!'_

Spinning around, she looked franticly at the streets around her. The letters on the street signs all seemed to be swimming and nothing looked familiar to her anymore.

She let out another squeak as more thunder sounded, this time followed by a distant bolt of lightening. But despite the distance, she knew it would be no time at all before the storm was upon her.

'_Ah! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?'_

Sakura could barely find her way home back in Japan, let alone in a foreign country. Spinning on her heel, she rushed back down the street she had been on.

Sakura ran blindly down streets, turning one-way and then another; but nothing was looking familiar. She still hadn't seen the café or any of the stands she had passed earlier.

Just then, Sakura felt something wet land on her nose. Raising a delicate finger to it, Sakura almost cried when she realized it was a raindrop. For soon another drop hit her, and another and another until she and the land around her were soaked to the bone.

Sakura shifted her dress as the already slightly clingy material stuck to her like a second skin and her one heel sunk slightly in a puddle. Taking another desperate look at her surroundings, she tipped her head back and let out a cry, "Where am I?"

"Hey little lady, do you need some help?"

Sakura jumped and spun around to see three men standing in the mouth of an alley. The way the one's words had been slightly slurred and the manner of which they were all at least partially leaning on one another all hinted at the fact that they were intoxicated. A chill ran down her spine when she saw them all slowly rack their eyes up and down her body.

"N-no thanks, I'm fine," she stammered, already starting to back away.

"Now now, there's no need to be hasty," leered the second one. He was taller and wirier than his two companions and each step he took seemed to eat up the ground between them twice as fast.

"N-no really, I'm fine. Thanks anyway though," she stuttered out, quickly turning on her heel and beginning to walk swiftly away.

But just as she was turning, she felt a hand grab onto her right forearm.

"Not so fast little lady," smirked the first one.

He tightened the grip of his meaty hand on her arm and gave a tug, effectively throwing her off balance. This was all that the other two needed to grab into her other arm and her waist.

"Hel-!" Sakura started to cry, but the third man, who had been silent up to this point, clasped his hand over her mouth and gave her a bone-chilling smirk.

"Let's not ruin all the fun now, eh?"

Sakura kicked and struggled as they dragged her back into the alley. The short one threw her back against the wall and she shrieked in pain as her head collided with the concrete and stars appeared in her vision.

"Hush little lady, we don't want anybody hearing us now do we?" the tall man leered as he slowly dragged his hand across her stomach, gradually creeping lower and lower.

Sakura sobbed as she felt the first man's hand join in wondering over her body. She had never felt like this before, so utterly helpless and out of control.

"Don't worry, you'll have lots of fun," the first one said as he slowly brought his hand up underneath her dress.

In a last despite attempt, Sakura bit down hard on his hand covering her mouth. Immediately he jumped back, howling in pain as he gripped his hand.

"Help!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs and she jumped for the mouth of the alley.

"Get back here you little tramp!" the third man hissed as her lunged at her. Taking a fist full of her long hair in his grip, he pulled harshly, smirking in satisfaction as Sakura tumbled backwards into an empty trashcan.

"You little whore!" Roared the man who she had bit as he lunged at her. Before Sakura could even react he had her by the throat and pinned against the alley wall again.

"I'm gonna mess you up real bad now. Prepare for it to hurt like hell," he hissed, his face mere inches away from hers.

Sakura grimaced at the strong smell of alcohol wafting off his breath and felt a sob rip though her as he yanked the thin strap down off her shoulder. The material tore with a spine shivering sound as Sakura's continued to cry, her sobs lost in the rain and the storm and the night.

She could feel his hand on her side slowly start to crawl up when suddenly it was ripped off. Just moments later the hand on her throat also released her and Sakura fell in a heap to the wet ground. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rapped her arms around them and squeezed her eyes shut.

She hated this feeling of not knowing what was going to happen but her eyes refused to open. Tremors from a mix of the rain and trauma racked her body as she lay quivering on the ground.

Itachi looked down at the small woman shaking on the ground. Her unusual hair was stuck to her face and her complexion was red and blotchy from crying. What caught his attention the most though were the dark hand shaped bruises covering her arms and throat. He was confused at the anger he felt and instead clenched his hands into fists. Reaching a hand down he gently lifted the woman's chin.

Sakura froze in fear at the feel of a hand on her face. Which one of them was it this time; although, the gentle manner that this hand was touching her in confused her greatly.

"_Guardami,"_ a voice, obviously different from the three men's, murmured.

Slowly, still shaking, Sakura opened her eyes and peered up at the blurry figure above you. Lifting an arm up, she wiped the rain from her eyes and finally the figure came into focus.

Sakura felt all the air leave her lungs as she looked at the man above her. Dark hair, tied at the nape, hung over his shoulder as he crouched in front of her. Eyes as dark as the night sky bore unblinkingly into her face, highlighted elegantly by naturally high cheekbones, with such intensity that Sakura found she had to look away. What took her breath away the most though was the fact that she knew this man.

This was Itachi Uchiha- her inspiration to start writing, her idol, and her favorite author. He was the reason she decided to come to Italy in the first place!

"_Ho detto guardami," _he snapped lightly.

"_S-scusa," _she whimpered, dragging her eyes away from the plain leather of his shoes and back to the dark depths of his eyes.

"Did they do anything besides hit you?" he asked, switching to english as soon as he heard her accent.

"No, you came before they could," she replied.

Itachi looked into her luminous emerald eyes that still seemed to shine brightly even in the hazy darkness of the storm. Gently he helped her to her feet but when her knees suddenly gave out under her he rapped an arm around her petite waist.

"Where are you staying?" he asked.

"At _La Brace Inn," _she replied.

Itachi's brows furrowed at her response. _La Brace Inn _was more than seven miles west of here. Shooting another curious look at the tiny woman leaning against his side, Itachi sighed as his subconscious came forward.

"That's to far away, my house is much closer. You can stay there for the night and return in the morning when the rain stops," he said as he started to walk. He could feel her start to squirm by his side as she squeaked,

"Oh no! Just point me in the right direction and I'll find my way back!"

"Please," he scoffed, "you can barely stand on your own and you still think you'll be able to walk seven miles in the rain?"

Internally Sakura gulped; seven miles was really far…

"W-well if it's no trouble," she stammered.

Above her Itachi smirked as the small woman gave in. With a slight tug on her waist the pair left the dark recesses of the alley and once more entered the streets.

They stayed to the streets for the most part, turning every once and a while until they came to a dirt road flanked on each side by tall leafy trees.

Sakura stared blankly at the path until she felt another tug on her waist and a simple command to 'Come'.

Heeding the author's demands she leaned slightly into his side and started forward. After a few hundred feet she was able to make out a simple looking beige cottage with ivy growing up the sides. They walked to the door where Itachi took a key out of folds of his coat and put it into the knob. The door unlocked with a gentle click and Sakura sighed happily as the house's warmth engulfed her soaked form. But with the warmth also came a feeling of drowsiness and she stifled a yawn.

"You house is beautiful," she managed to mutter as her knees once again began to give out, though this time from exhaustion.

"Thank you," Itachi said as he led her down a hall to where his room was. Leading her in he set her down lightly on his bed before turning to search for an old t-shirt she could use instead of the soaking and ripped dress she donned at the moment.

"Here," he said, placing the dark blue shirt in her lap, "the bathroom is two doors down on the right."

With a nod Sakura rose from her seat and followed his directions to another plain door.

A few minutes later she reemerged into Itachi's room and it took all the man's will power to not stiffen at her appearance. The shirt hung loosely off her, slipping completely off of one shoulder to reveal milky white skin that looked as soft as silk. The hem of the shirt stopped just a few inches below the tops of her thighs and as she walked slowly towards him he found that no words could do the girl's beauty justice.

"Arigato Uchiha-san for lending me the shirt," she said, bowing slightly.

"Hn."

Sakura paused slightly at the sudden brush-off and watched paralyzed as her idol simply brushed past her and disappeared back out into the hallway. Feeling that it wouldn't be right to stay standing alone in his bedroom, no matter how much she would have liked to, she quickly turned around and stepped into the hallway. Following the quiet rustling sounds from one end of the hall Sakura found herself once again standing in his living room.

She watched as he took a comforter and spread it out over the length of his couch. Brushing past her again, he returned a moment later with a pillow under his arm. Itachi held it out and Sakura took it somewhat hesitantly.

"A-ah, arigato Uchiha-san for doing all this. I really appreciate all you've done for me tonight."

"It was nothing."

"No, it was more than nothing! If you hadn't come when you had then those men would have- they would've…"

To her dismay, Sakura felt more tears start to burn at her eyes and she squeezed the lids shut to stop them from spilling over.

"What's your name?"

Sakura froze at the question. Now that she thought about it, never once over the duration of the night had they officially introduced themselves. Suddenly, she felt like she shouldn't be there, even if he had been the one to invite her in. Swallowing the lump in her throat Sakura forced her body to bow again.

"My name is Sakura Haruno."

Despite himself, Itachi felt the corner of his mouth start to twist up at her answer. The name Sakura fit the woman well with her unusual but now fitting hair color.

"And I am Itachi Uchiha, but it would appear you already knew that."

"O-oh! Well, you see, I'm fan of your writing and I recognized you from the pictures of yourself in your bibliographies."

Sakura was sure that her face was bright red as she recited this information. Meeting Itachi Uchiha had always been a dream of hers but now that it was actually happening she found that she just couldn't get the words to come out the way she wanted them to.

"I see," Itachi said with a nod.

An awkward silence stretched between them until Itachi tilted his head towards the make shift bed he had set up on his sofa.

"I hope you'll be comfortable tonight Haruno-san. As you can see, I don't have a guest bedroom so the sofa was all I was able to supply."

"Of course, thank you again Uchiha-san."

Itachi gave her a final nod before disappearing back down the hallway and a moment later Sakura heard his bedroom door click shut softly.

With a sigh she dragged herself to the couch and flopped down ungracefully. A pout made its way to her lips as slid her body underneath the sheets and burrowed her body within the folds of the couch cushions.

It only took a few seconds for her eyes to droop closed and another moment afterwards for her body to be lolled into the gentle waves of sleep.

A ray of sunlight that had managed to slip past the curtains covering the window was the cause for Itachi's early awakening.

Lids slipped back to reveal dark orbs that lazily surveyed the room before a sudden light seemed to spark within them. It was just then that Itachi remembered the battered woman sleeping in his living room. Throwing back the sheets he moved till the soles of his feet touched the ground. After another moment of silent contemplation he rose and walked to the door that would lead him the where the girl was.

He found her rapped in sheets, fast asleep and oblivious to the world around her. How she was able to sleep so soundly in the house of a stranger was beyond him but for some reason he did not question it. The aura that she exerted was one of innocence and trust, a gullible combination that was sure to get her into more trouble later down the road.

Continuing past the slumbering body Itachi moved through his living room with a natural grace, heading for the front door.

Sakura awoke to the sound of a door opening and closing. A sudden memory of a dark alley and dark figures sent her shooting upright, emerald eyes frantically searching the space around her. But all she could see were white walls and wood furniture. Slowly, her foggy mind began to put the pieces together and she remembered where she actually was. She was in the home of Itachi Uchiha- world famous author, personal idol, and sexiest man of 2011. She would know; she had the magazine sitting on her living room table.

Wiggling around until she had successfully unwound herself from the comforter, she rose and walked curiously to the window. At first all she could see was a perfectly green lawn and an ancient looking willow tree. A slight shift of something behind the trunk of the tree though caught her attention and automatically sent her body through the door and towards the looming willow.

"Um…"

She shifted awkwardly next to the thick trunk, waiting until she had gained the silent author's attention before continuing. He craned his neck back slightly to look at her with blank eyes and Sakura took this as her signal to continue.

"Thank you, for letting me stay the night. It was very kind of you," she said as she bowed deeply.

A simple nod was the only response she got and again, just like the night before, an awkward silence stretched between them.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Sakura jumped at the sudden voice before shuffling forward the last few feet to drop next to her idol. The feeling of a breeze on her upper thighs caused her to look down. At the sight she saw Sakura nearly screamed. Last night, when she had been too tired to really take into consideration anything, she hadn't noticed just how short the t-shirt was.

Now that she was fully awake though, she was more than aware of the way the material kept creeping up her thighs.

"A-ah," she tried, "if I may ask, why were you out so late last night Uchiha-san?"

Itachi turned dark orbs to regard her coolly for a moment before turning to look at the bright sky.

"I was visiting a friend's house. I was on my way home when I heard you scream."

"Oh," Sakura said meekly.

Casting another nervous look at the raven-haired man, she to turned her gaze to the sky.

She knew that she had to say something- something to break the silence stretching between them. Suddenly, a line from her favorite novel, a novel _he _wrote, popped into her head. Before the filter in her mind could process the new idea her brain had just created, her mouth was already blurting it out.

"A queen is a symbol of safety, the faded but ever present figure that stands always behind the king, offering support and comfort when no other can find the answer themselves. But, even then, sometimes a queen needs a knight, someone not blinded by the royalty and the titles and the riches, to support her herself."

As the girl's voice faded off, Itachi felt his eyes widen. The quote was from one of his first novels, a story that hadn't sold nearly as well as his newer releases.

"_Royal Flush _was always my favorite book of yours. In fact it's one of the main reasons I decided to take up writing myself."

Sakura pulled her knees up, resting her chin lightly on them. Now that she had gotten out the line, she realized just how risky it was for her to have said it. What if he thought she was some kind of crazy fan or something?

"You consider yourself a queen?"

The question wrenched her out of her silent musing and left her completely horrified. She hadn't meant for her statement to sound like that in the least.

"Of course not! I just meant that-that…"

"That?" Itachi asked.

A gentle blush grew on her cheeks as she averted her eyes to the ground.

"That you're my knight."

Now she was completely mortified. Had she really just said that? Had she, Sakura Haruno, just said something so utterly corny and completely embarrassing to her long time idol of all people? It was during moments like this that she simply wished that the ground would open up beneath her and swallow her whole.

"Sakura."

He had absolutely no idea what was compelling him to do this. Maybe it was her beauty, or her obvious intelligence if she enjoyed such a complex novel as _Royal Flush, _or the way her large doe eyes just seemed to pull him in but before he knew it Itachi found himself leaning forward.

The kiss was chaste, lasting only a second and then it was over. But in that time, a spark that racked their entire bodies shot through them. And as they slowly pulled back, a light sparked in both their eyes.

'_I think…' _the thought passed through Sakura's mind.

'…_that I just…' _Itachi mulled.

'…_got an idea for a novel,' _they both realized.


End file.
